Patterson, LA: what USGS's seismic model says

Under the seismic model IBC and ASCE 7 use for new construction, Patterson is Category B. Low seismic hazard. Code requires basic seismic detailing (bracing, connections) but no special structural system restrictions. That puts Patterson in the 22th percentile nationally for seismic hazard - higher than 22% of the 4,875 US cities USGS was checked against here.

Where Patterson sits in Louisiana

The raw figures: peak ground acceleration 0.042g, short-period spectral response 0.086g, 1-second spectral response 0.049g. Among 59 Louisiana cities in this dataset, Patterson ranks 41 for seismic hazard, the 31th percentile within the state. About 5,614 people live in Patterson, Louisiana.

Retrofit economics for Patterson

Outside California, no state-level retrofit grant equivalent to Brace + Bolt could be found for Louisiana. A typical retrofit still runs $5,000-$10,000 nationally, about $7,000 for a common single-family job.

What this means for insurance

Outside California, earthquake coverage is typically sold as an endorsement added to a standard homeowners policy, not a separate product - worth asking about directly when getting a home-insurance quote for a Patterson address.

More on how this number was built

The methodology guide covers exactly how USGS's public design-maps API produced Patterson's numbers. The guide to what a Seismic Design Category actually means covers why a category is never a substitute for an engineer's assessment of one specific house.